Polycarbonate for checked bags. Polyester for carry-on. But it depends on how often bags get checked and how much abuse they take.
Polycarbonate is hard plastic. RIMOWA introduced it to luggage in 2000. The material flexes when dropped and returns to shape. A baggage handler at O'Hare said the shiny flexible ones bounce. He was talking about polycarbonate.
The shell protects fragile contents. Someone packed a bottle of wine in a polycarbonate bag and it survived the flight.
The shell also cracks. Away suitcases have BBB complaints about cracked shells. A repair guide says gluing polycarbonate cracks does not work because the glued area loses flexibility and the crack spreads. When polycarbonate fails, it usually means buying a new bag.
Away charges $295. Samsonite Proxis runs $350 to $500. RIMOWA starts at $700. A carry-on size weighs 7 to 9 pounds empty.
Polyester is woven fabric. It tears. A traveler posted about a £20 polyester bag that lost its front panel on a US domestic flight. The fabric was hanging by a scrap. He patched it with duct tape.
Polyester can be sewn. Duct tape holds it. Dental floss works in an emergency. When polyester fails, a patch often gets the bag through the rest of the trip.
Polyester compresses. It fits into overhead bins that are already full. Hard shells do not compress.
Samsonite Solyte DLX uses 600 denier polyester and sells for around $120. Travelpro Maxlite runs $100 to $140. Both weigh 5 to 7 pounds empty. Two pounds lighter than the hard shells.
Ballistic nylon is a third category. TUMI and Briggs & Riley use it. The material was developed for World War II flak jackets. It resists tears better than polyester but costs more than polycarbonate.
Briggs & Riley has a lifetime repair guarantee. No receipt needed. A commenter on a travel blog said a 1999 bag had been repaired twice over 24 years. Wheels, handle, zippers, lining. They offered a discount on a new bag. The owner declined. The old bag still works. A new one costs $400 to $600.
Cheap polycarbonate is dangerous. Budget brands blend it with ABS, a more brittle plastic. The same O'Hare handler said the rigid black plastic ones crack. He was talking about ABS.
A $60 hard shell from Amazon can crack on the first flight. The savings disappear when the bag has to be replaced.
If buying polycarbonate, the label should say 100% polycarbonate or pure PC. ABS/PC blend is weaker.
A Samsonite Cosmolite bought in 2012 survived hundreds of flights with dents but no cracks. The owner said she would buy it again. Samsonite discontinued that exact model.
This is normal. Products that work get discontinued. The replacement is usually different.
A $120 polyester bag that lasts 8 years works out to $15 per year. A $500 Briggs & Riley that lasts 25 years with free repairs works out to $20 per year. The expensive bag does not save money. It saves the hassle of shopping for a replacement.
The person with the £20 bag and the duct tape did not file a claim. Not worth the time.
The person with the 1999 Briggs & Riley turned down the discount on a new bag. The old one still works.
